drizzohs '21 off-road build

Icon RXT's = Out

Deaver J66's = In

Truck = Rad

The J66's dropped the rear of the truck over 1/2" immediately which let me drop the front just as much. The J66's were physically about an inch longer so it was a little finicky to install, but I can already tell that these are much better suited for a truck without much additional bed weight. So far I've added 3 psi back to the tires (32 cold now) and it's still riding much better than it did with the RXT's. Need to do more suspension fine-tuning but the ride quality has significantly improved already. Very happy I made the switch.

Also threw in a tank of premium and retuned the ECU to the premium tune but I'm not noticing much of a difference in drivability except lower mpg. Was lead to believe this tune would net me an additional 1-2 mpg over the 87 so I'll run this tank down and see if it improves, but otherwise I'm switching back to the 87 version.

 

Did you do any on the outside of the doors (the part the door panel clips to) or just the insides? Getting ready to place an order on Amazon for the 20sq ft. trunk pack to do all 4 doors...

 

Just the outside to help with road noise from other traffic next to me. I used about 3.5 sheets per door to get nearly 100% coverage on the skins. Added some to the plastic door panels where rattles happened but did not cover them completely. This method has been working for me for years. My thoughts are, to reduce sound coming in from the outside, start from the furthest out surfaces. Bonus is the door closing sound is so nice and upscale now.

When I do the audio system in this I'll add some more to the speaker surrounds and reassess where rattles might happen on all surfaces but for now this accomplished what I was after.

Doing the back wall behind the seats and under the rear floor storage bin made the biggest impact though for road noise.

 

So over the last couple of weeks I've been completely reconfiguring the suspension settings. I am absolutely ecstatic to say I am finally (almost) content with the ride quality on the truck.

My suspension setup was not correct for my needs and needed some big changes.

I started with the leaf pack swap to the much more supple (and lower) Deaver J66's. The RXT's are just too stiff if you don't have any weight in the bed and too tall for the look and performance I was after (was still getting over 2" of lift after 5 months of settling). I'm not a fan of Icon shocks so I don't know why I thought their leaf pack would be any better. Anyways, with how overly stiff the RXT's were for my application the only way I could get an almost acceptable ride is with custom softer valving done to the ADS 2.5's, the clickers at full soft and the tires at 30 psi on the road.

The biggest change I made to the setup was to get rid of the RXT's and install the J66's. Swapping in the J66's made the truck immediately more compliant and comfortable, but required everything else to be reassessed and retuned. The J66 also lowered the rear of the truck by about 1/2 - 2/3" out of the box, which is a very welcome change for a modicum of reasons. Lowering the rear allowed me lower the front coilovers down to get the proper rake and improve usable suspension travel. I was at 21 threads showing with the RXT's to get a proper stance/rake which was much higher than I ever wanted. The inner CV angle and available downtravel were both unacceptable. With the lower rear end I able to drop the front down to 12 threads showing, reducing preload by an inch and greatly increasing available downtravel in the shock which improved ride quality drastically up front - and without an excessive amount of rake.

With this new found suspension travel and large increase in suppleness, the next thing on the list was to get into the tuning aspect of the adjustable suspension and tires. I upped the damping to full stiff and put the tires at 35psi expecting it to be overly harsh. It was not, it loved the stiffness increase. I ran this this for a day or 2 before upping the tires to 40 psi. The truck loved this even more, Small bump compliance further improved but for the first time the suspension was finally feeling like it was being used and causing the additional stiffness I was feeling over larger bumps (curbs, ditches, etc). Dropped the damping 10 clicks all around to 50% stiffness and it was finally feeling like how I've been hoping it to feel since the original installation in November - supple but still controlled and without harshness.

After getting a proper ride with big changes I was finally able to start fine tuning the settings to my liking and refine the balance. After some additional testing I think I have found my forever settings at 10 clicks front, 5 clicks rear (from full soft) and 38 psi all around. The truck feels amazing and I have finally figured out why people praise ADS so much. It's a beautiful suspension when the rest of your components match your weight class. If Tyler from ADS happens to see this, thank you so much with your assistance throughout this whole painful process. Being unhappy with this ride quality has mostly been due to a little ignorance on my part with trucks and a little via Icon's marketing. I knew what I was after but it had to be looked at much differently than when lowering tuners. I have learned a lot (and spent a lot) but I am happy that I no longer hate driving the truck that I've been wanting since I first watched Back to the Future in the early 90's. It will be a whole new experience to tune this for the dirt, but at least I am finally satisfied with how this truck performs on the pavement - where it will see 90% of its life.

 

Glad to hear everything is working out. Love your approach to the build, OEM+ is the best.

 

Thanks Jack! Feels good to finally have this issue sorted out.

My biggest issues with this truck were:

• Ride quality
  • Mostly fixed with custom tuned ADS shocks & Deavers
• Transmission shift points
  • Fixed with OV Tune 2.0
• Headlight output
  • Fixed with the Morimoto XB's
• Stereo
  • Soon

OEM+ is definitely my style. I don't need to reengineer the vehicle, but I can definitely make it better.

 

Funny, similar issues to me. I did the OEM Audio Plus stereo with dual subs.

If you really want a good tune, I'm enjoying KDMAX Pro+. It is a significant upgrade over OVT 2.0, especially with bigger meats.

 

Once you get rid of that OVTune you'll really enjoy the truck. Same with the stereo.

 

People seem to like the OEM Audio+ setup but I have yet to hear it in person. I absolutely love my carbon Focals + JL Stealthbox in my daily though, so it will be hard to sway me from doing that same setup in this - it's just so crisp. I have the Subaru tweets now and they're okay but was just a temp upgrade until I decided to rewire the truck to do the audio properly, which will hopefully be next now that I don't hate being in the truck anymore.

I have also heard good things about the KDMAX Pro tunes but I think I'll stick to this one for a while. I don't really need more power, just wanted to smooth out the shifting and hold the gears longer. The OV accomplished that for me. I didn't notice anything from their 91 tune though except for a decrease in mpg, so swapped back to the 87 with enhanced throttle response. Truck feels like it should. I do want to replace the y-pipe but mostly just because it's a crap design - not necessarily for power.

Lol I already enjoy the truck with the OV. It fixed what I needed it to fix, I'll keep it for a while. Biggest issue was how crappy this thing has been riding since upgrading the suspension - it was just excessively stiff. I know it won't ride as smooth as my daily but I'm glad that's sorted out.

The stereo is complete dog shit though, ripping that out next. Can't wait lol. This is the longest I've ever kept a factory setup installed, but I had to sort out the ride quality first.

 

agree. I couldn't hear the stock stereo if I put the windows down on the highway. To be fair, I did the OEM Audio+ because I didn't want to be tweaking and tuning a system like I did back in the day. I just wanted to turn the truck on and go.

I started with the base system, then upgraded to the dual sub with separate amp with gain control. The stock settings were very muted for bass. And since it's around freezing or less for 4-5 months of the year i had to wait about 15 minutes until the VC warmed up until it actually did anything. Now with the separate amp / gain control I can just bump it up a bit to warm it up faster. The bass is good (tight/fast/etc.), but if you want to bump some heavy bass, you can tell they are 8's, no getting around that. For most types of music it is perfect. The stereo itself is very nice sounding, gets decently loud while still crystal clear. The better quality the sound inputs, the better it sounds (CD's sound fantastic / lossless). I don't think it would sound any better than focals/stealbox. But plug and play/tuned is nice. In fairness it costs alot more than it did a few years back.

I'm still trying to get my suspension set. J66's may be alittle soft for me though as sometimes I carry some good weight. Glad to read your opinion on the RXT's.

The feel between Stock to 2.0 is similar to the feel from 2.0 to KDMAX PRO+. It is that much more dialed. Throttle, shifting, gear holding, low end torque, throttle control out of a corner.... One day when you feel like it, I'd suggest trying it out.

 

Good to hear how you feel about the difference from OV to KD; a buddy said there wasn't much difference when he switched from the OV 2.0 or KD but I don't know that he switched back to OV after. Haven't asked. The OV doesn't bug me though. Maybe if I get bored after doing some other upgrades I'll revisit a different tune option.

Yeah.. The only thing that bugs me about the Stealthboxes are that they use 10's.. but damn are they clean. The 1 10w3 in my tC is cleaner and nearly just loud as multiple sets of 12's I've run in the past (except my old Bostons, those were insane) - but it's also a hatch and the subs don't have to travel thru a rear deck. I don't need the whole street to know what I listen to but I need some tight sound. Very excited to get rid of this entire audio setup lol.

 

Still fine-tuning the suspension.. won't bore those of you that read my thread with the details, but it's getting closer. Debating (again) sending these back to ADS to have them slow down the high speed rebound, but trying everything else first. Currently running 37psi and 7 clicks from full soft all around. Also researching Archive Garage Hammer Hangers as it looks like they might help calm the rear end down.

Got the truck a little dirty this weekend and while it still is a little stiffer than I'd like, it's much more compliant with the new leaves and improved downtravel. Things are definitely going in the right direction.

Ordered a BedRug bed mat to test the fitment against the factory rubber bed mat. I'm not completely satisfied with the factory mat fitment and I can heat it sliding & flopping around in the bed since it has no way to attach itself to the floor and that really bugs me. Hoping the BedRug has better fitment but I'll probably end up running both of them layered since the gray really won't match anything (why aren't they black lol).

Also got in on the GB for the tie rod end sleeves. Need to get realigned anyway since lowering the front end so I'll get that taken care of after those show up.

About all I took pics of from my weekend was adding some additional deadening / thermal insulation to the back wall. Had some leftover Second Skin Heatwave Pro from doing a buddies ST the previous weekend so threw it on the back wall. Needed to pull the rear cubbies again anyway to address a few rattles that have come up or that got missed when doing the Damplifier Pro install so I figured I'd throw this on while I had it apart. This is a thermal layer but it doubles as a medium sound deadener as well. The last bit of tire noise from the rear does seem to be gone back there now. I put slits where the cabin vents are and have no issues with pressure when closing the doors. The only downside is that it does make the front tire noise seem a bit exaggerated now, so I will be doing the inside of the front splash shields with this soon to see if it tones that road noise down. I have my tC blanketed with this stuff everywhere but the floor and I love it, thinking I'll do the trucks doors as well when I take them apart again to do the audio.

 

Added some of the leftover Heatwave Pro insulation to the underside of the front splash shields last night. The shields are only about 6" wide against the firewall area so I don't think it will make a huge difference, but there was some factory foam there so Toyota knows this is an area that can be quieted down. Also ordered 8 more sheets of the Second Skin Damplifier Pro to do the front floors, transmission tunnel and as much of the firewall as I can access without removing the dash. Hopefully with these done it will help mute the only remaining road noise I'm hearing.

 

So firstly, adding that little bit of insulation to the front wheel wells actually did take some of the edge off of the front road noise - more than expected. The additional Damplifier Pro arrived but I haven't had time to put it on yet up front, hopefully this week/weekend if it's not a jillion degrees outside.

Also threw in the BedRug. It doesn't weigh anything so I just threw the factory rubber mat on top of it. It's much more plush with the BedRug underneath it and doesn't slide around at all anymore. Also it sits flatter with the foam from the BedRug filling the low spots in the bed floor.

Still trying to find the back rattle but now I think it is between the plastic on the rear seat-back and the seat itself. Going to pull that part today and see what's up.

Friday I swapped out the factory shackles for the BAMF Greasable HD Shackles to see if they helped the rear end shuddering at all (testing out a temp upgrade until I do the Hammers but didn't feel like spending that much more on suspension rn). The rear end feels more controlled and the leaf operation feels smoother, but it did not help much with going over wavy roads like I was hoping - it's still pretty choppy in that situation. Feels smoother offroad though so that's a win. All in all the upgrade is worth it for the price, but I was hoping for additional benefits on the road.

 

So I found out that the rear rattle I've been hearing sounded exactly like the sound the seat backs make when they are pushed a little and the plastic contacts the inner wire and plastic parts inside the seat. Was really hoping that adding some foam tape and thermal insulation between the seat and plastic backing would fix it. It did fix that issue, but that's not the noise I've been hearing. That means it's the vent flaps on the back wall. Ugh. Ordered some open cell foam to shove into the holes to hopefully mask the sound of the flaps hitting the plastic without restricting airflow. Due to their location and my terrain I don't want to just rip them off and I don't want to delete the vents completely so I think this is my best option. Yay for getting to take the rear cubbies out for the third time. This truck hates me. But at least I found another spot to cram more insulation into the back end.

 

Front area deadening complete. Yanked up the carpet and did the entire driver and passenger floors and as far up the firewall as I could go under the factory carpet insulation. Noticeable reduction in road noise from this and a little drivetrain noise reduction. Last night I did a less-conventional road noise reduction mod and deadened the exterior of the front fender wells. Did this on my tC 6+ years ago and it's still holding up and made a big difference on that so I figured it was worth doing on this as well. Bonus is it masks some of the ugly unpainted white body in the fender wells as well. This should help alleviate the last bit of front end road noise that I have.

Before:



After:



When doing this I was reminded how ill-fitting the splash shields on this are, so ordered the Ark's to replace them with.

Picked up some open cell foam (coarse and breathable) to fill in the rear cabin vent area to stop those goddamn flaps from flapping. It required a little more trimming after this to not push out the flaps excessively so they still perform, but here's how the basic design was for the insert.



Also been talking to Tyler @ ADS and the shocks should be going back next week to have some tweaking done. The ride is the best it's been after the last month and a half of tuning with the new leaf springs, ride height changes, tire psi and compression, but the shocks are due for some re-tuning to fix what the other components can't. Completely reengineering ADS's tune with this one so I hope it works out.

 

So as expected, deadening both sides of the front inner fenders was a huge win. Big reduction in road noise. I think my open cell-foam-in-the-vent-flaps.mp3 experiment worked as well I haven't heard the flapping since doing that and the doors are no harder to close than they already were.



Shocks are off and going back to ADS today for revalve 2.0. Really hoping my proposed tuning changes get the truck to react and ride how I've been wanting it to. Truck is in hovercraft mode until then.



With the wheels and shock reservoirs out it seemed like the best time to install the Ark splash shields that recently got delivered. If you hate the factory shields like I do then these are worth the price. Fitment was about 8.5/10 and I had to hog out some holes (and drill one new one in the truck) but that is expected with a vehicle that has been modified that you're doing additional mods to. All in all it looks much cleaner and the material these are made from feels much more stout than the factory ones.



While the wheels are off this week I'm planning to paint the rear drums as well since I didn't get to that when I did the fronts. Would be even better if the WarFab tie rod sleeves shipped out this week, probably would never have an easier time installing them lol.

 

Drums painted. Holy crap do they look better. Amazing how gross these already were after only 2800 miles. The factory 'coating' on them is an absolute joke.

Removed -> Wire brushed -> Isopropyl'd -> VHT high heat primer -> VHT brake paint -> Rustoleum engine enamel clear (same process as the fronts) -> Then fresh anti-seize on the hubs before reinstalling





Also retorqued everything while the truck is apart since it's been a few weeks since doing the BAMF shackles.

 

I'm bored waiting for the suspension to be finished, so I ordered the

$201 K&N 57-9039 K&N Cold Air Intake System: High-Flow Air Filter, Increase Performance & Towing: Compatible with 2016-2023 TOYOTA Tacoma, 57-9039

K&N 57-9039 JR Intake Kit and TRD Intake Flow Accelerator. Was originally planning on the Injen Evolution but after spending some time offroad with a buddy I realized that's going to be nothing but a vacuum for dust in this terrain. So going to stick with the stock airbox and hop it up. Should be all the benefits of the significantly overpriced TRD setup but in a cheaper and cleaner package.

 

I'm running just the K&N drop in the stock box. The truck seems happier when it's hot out (better flow), but not really a noticeable difference in power or mpg. The filter oil does seem to dry out rather quickly here and needs more frequent attention.